Apparatus for molding ice



Oct. 20 1931. R. VAN DEVENTER 1,828,693

APPARATUS FOR MOLDING ICE Filed Sept. 15; 1926 hay/smart Patented Oct. 20, 1931 UNITED. STATES PATEN HARRY 12. mm DEVENTER, on NEW vomgnx hssfifihn, BY mEsNE As'sIoNME 'rs, T INLAND MANUFACTURING-COMPANY, or DAYTON, 0310, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE Application'ffiledieptember s to a method and apsubstances and more My invention relate paratus vfor moldin particularly for mol i For convenience my invention is illustrated and will be described as applied to molds for ice and like substances and is shown in a form particularly adapted for use in conjunctiofvithmle'ctrically operated refrlgf i" ating machines such as are now commonly used in'homes, shops, etc. -Such machines are now provided with arrangements whereby during the operation of the machine cubes of ice are frozen in convenient drawer-like receptables. Great difiicu ties have been encountered in removing the ice from'such re- "'ceptacles. I

One object of my invention is to provide a method of producing forms of ice or similar substances and a mold adapted to facilitate the removability of the therefrom.

Another object of my inventionis to provide apparatus of the above character adapted to withstand the severe handling such apparatus is commonly given, and which will eliminate the hazard of injuring the apparatus and the hands when removing the frozen substance from the molds. A further object of my invention is to provide an ice drawer assembly which may be easily and cheaply manufactured and which is rugged and durable in service as well as convenient to use.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a partition for ice drawers that are now in commercial use which will be suitable for sale as a separate entity thereby enabling my improved method and appa ratus to be used on existing refrigerating machines.

In thev accompanying drawings,- Figure 1 isa top plan view of a partition. unit used with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of he partition of Fig. 3 is a perspective of a group of the strips shown in the preceding figures assembled to' form cubes; 50 Fig. 4. is a well known type of ice drawer ng congealable liquids.

frozen substance- APPARATUS FOR MOLDING Ion 15,1926. Serial N0. 185,496.

equipped with the assembly of strips shown in Fig. 3 and filled with water or ice; 'Figi 5; illustrates the group of strips/of Fig. 4 removed from the drawer after ice cubes have been formed, and shows the block after one layer of cubes has been removed. Heretofore, the method of forming ice cubes has been to provide a mold or ice drawersuchasshowninthe patent to Arnold No. 1,523,098, and having a removable-sec tion comprising a plurality of partitions or strips secured together in a criss cross arrangement similar to an' egg crate (the edges only of the vertical partition strips touching the bottom of the drawer) filling the drawer with water, placing the filled drawer in the ice machine and freezing the water. When it is "desired to remove the ice cubes, the drawer is takfiffrom thesmaghine and heatrelease the block of ice containing the partition section frozen therein. Pressure is then applied to the individual cubes usually by the fingers and if there has-not been sufv ficient thawing along the sides of the several 7 partitions more pressure is required than can e exerted with the fingers. Frequently, the fingers. and hands are seriously injured. At other times difliculty is experienced in removing the block from the drawer and an ice pick is used with resultant damage to the drawer and partitions.

Furthermore, much 'ce is wasted as it is necessary to thaw an appreciable part of all. the ice in contact with the bottom and side walls of the drawer and the walls or partitions. The partitions standing in the drawer have only thin edges in contact with the bottom and sides of the drawer so that it is difiicult to conduct enough heat into them to free them from the ice. In instances when ice picks are used to dig the cubes out of the drawers and holes are punched therein, the drawer is thereafter useless. In addition. the ice is broken in fragments.-

The f oregoing difliculties are obviated by my invention which I shall now describe.

The numerals 1, 7, 8, 9 and 10 denote vertical metallic partition strips, preferably of tinned brass or copper, respectively mounted W ed (usually by the application of water),toJ y upon bottom strips 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 arranged at right angles to the upright partitions.

' The partition strip 1 and its attached bottom strip 2, for example, form a unit as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, being substantially of inverted T-shaped cross section.

Sufficient of these strips may be assembled to fill an ice drawer '11 of any size and these strips may be disposedtherein as shown in Figs. 3 aud t so as to provide square shaped spaces between the strips and triangular shaped spaces along the sides of the drawer.

It will be noted .that thebottom strip of each unit is in close contactwith the bottom of the drawer thus giving a broad surface for the partition strip so as to readily transmit heat to and from the bottom of the drawer. Furthermore, only a thin film of ice can form between the bottom of the drawer and "the bottom of the partition strips which film is easily melted as will be hereinafter pointed out.

I The drawer may now be filled with water and the water frozen in the usual manner.

expedited as compared with what occurs During the freezing period it, will be observedthat the bottom strips being in contact with the bottom of the drawer serve to conduct heat out of the vertical partition strips and the water in contact therewith and consequently the freezing of the water is "be left face downward fora few moments or the drawer-may be dipped in water. The heat is readily transmitted from the metal of the drawer to the bottom strips in contact therewith melting the thin film of ice therebetween so that the entire contents of the drawer are readily removed therefrom in a block as shown in Fig. 5..

Thereafter, the strips are readily removed ((1) Heating the bottom strips of the block shown in Fig. 5, (the heat is readily transmitted from the bottom strips up through the vertical partition strips freeing them from the ice) or b) A slight pressure is applied to the ends of the block Fig. 5 whereupon each strip is readily separated from the main block, carrying therewith the cubes of ice supported thereby. This can be done because the strips of my invention are not united by cross partitions and the vertical partitions do not run across the entire block as heretofore. Each ice cube is united to the adjacent cube only by. a thin edge of ice as indicated at 12, 18. which thin edge of ice is easily broken if not already melted.

When a complete strip of ice cubes is broken off the main block, the individual ice cubes ends in an inverted position and the thumbs of each hand slightly pressed at the center of the blocktending-to flex the entire block in the direction of the partitions which will cause the entire block to collapse releasing all the cubes simultaneously.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by my method of construction and assembly an improved method of making ice cubes results and that I have further developed a specific form of apparatus to carry Modifications may be made in the arrangement and location of parts within the spirit 1. In ice making apparatus, a receptacle for ice, and a removable partition therein having asubstantially inverted T-shaped cross section.

/ 2. In ice making apparatus, a receptacle for ice, a plurality of removable partitions therein of substantially inverted T-shaped cross section adapted to provide between themselves spaces for the formation of ice units, and the bottom of the inverted T-shaped members being in contact with the bottom of the receptacle.

3. In ice making apparatus, a receptacle for ice, and a plurality of removable strips each having a broad base'and-an upright portion forming a partition in said receptacle said upright portions being so shaped and disposed as to cooperate to divide the space in the receptacle both longitudinally and horizontall 4. In ice making apparatus, a receptacle,

a plurality of strips running across said receptacle and covering substantially all of the bottom thereof, and upright members upon said strips dividing said receptacle, for the purposes set forth. I

5. A partition for ice drawers comprising a flexible bottom strip, a flexible dividing strip carried thereby said partition strip adapted to form with the drawer a plurality of-ice mold spaces of which said bottom strip forms the bottom.

6. A mold for congealable liquids comprising a container. and a plurality of partitions tabl extending in one direction in said container and each partition comprising a bottom portion and a irregularly shaped portion, the

.bottom por 'ons substantially joining each other and the irregular portions cooperating with each other to form a plurality of individual molds 'whereby the contents of each mold is joined to the next by a thin film of congealed liquid and the group of molds 1s united to. said container by a thin film of con,- gealed liquid.

7. In combination, an ice tray, a removable partition in said tray, said partition comprising a base portion and a zigzag upright portion fastened to said base.

8. An ice drawer for use with mechanical refrigerators which comprises a receptacle, and a plurality of flexible partition strips having bottom-members thereon arranged to cover the entire bottom of the receptacle and also having vertically extending .deformed members.

9. An ice drawer for use with mechanical refrigerators comprising a receptacle'and a flexible artition extending in one direction in sald container, the partition being irregularly shaped so as to divide the receptacle into a plurality of smaller ice units.

10. A receptacle for the production of frozen fluid in mechanical refrigerators consisting of a metal pan, and a removable partition within said pan, said partition being formed to separate the. space within said pan into a plurality of compartments substantially triangular in shape.

11. In ice making apparatus, the combination with a receptacle adapted to contain the ice, of a flexible removable partition therein,

.mg a smuous flexible sheet within the consaid partition being of such shape that it may be flexed to remove the ice therefrom without puttin the ice under compression.

12. in ice freezing tray adapted for use a receptacle for containing water and a removable partition therein'of resilient sheet metal bent to zigzag form for dividing the frozen ice into blocks of suitable size for e use. J l

13. Anice freezing tray adapted for use with domestic refrigerators which comprises a receptacle for containing water and a partition therein of resilient sheet metal bent to zigzag formfor dividing the frozen ice into blocks of suitable size for table use. 14. An ice -freezing container comprismg, a receptacle for containing the water anda removable flexible metal dividing wall there n, said wall having alternate reverse turns therein.

, 15. An ice freezing container comprising,

a receptacle for containing water and a removable sheet metal member therein, said member being bent to such form that it may be flexed to remove the ice therefrom without putting the ice under compression.

16. An ice freezing tray adapted for use with domestic refrigerators which comprises a receptacle for-containing water and a removable resilient partition therein for dividing the ice into separate blocks, said partition being of such special shape as to materially increase theflexibility thereof beyond the inherent flexibility of the material thereof to facilitate the removal of the frozen ice blocks therefrom. I

17. Anappliance for freezing water into individual blocks suitable for use in a drinking glass, comprising a container and a removable partition'therein' for dividing the space in the container into a plurality of mold units, said partition bein made of a single piece of sheet material Iient to provide a plurality of walls defining each mold unit, thewalls of each unit being capable of being concurrently distorted whereby the freeing ofthe block from the mold unit is forming ice block compartments, two op posite walls of every compartment being shaped to spread apart upon flexing said main wall about an axis substantially at right angles to said wall.

20. A sharp freezing container compristainerfor dividing the same into compartments whereby to facilitate the removal of the ice from said compartments.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

- HARRY R. VAN DEVENTER. 

